Help

I am new to being a Atheist and I keep having people mostly family question me over and over again. I find I am at a big disadvantge because I don't have a lot of knowledge about the facts and the proof of no god( im not sure if that made sence).

When I say to them" I just dont believe that is all" that is not good enought for them. And they keep throwing things at me like bible verses and so forth. I have not read the bible enought to counter what they are saying. I feel totally dumb when it comes to those who question me and I hate that. I think it makes me and other Atheist look bad. I have made a few attempts to explaine that I do not see any proof for a God and that it is just what I believe. I have come out and even asked why it matters so much to them what I believe, I am not hurting them in any way. And they say to me prove there is not god. The best I can say to them is prove there is a god. They say to me we have faith and then tell me I also have faith for me to belive there is no god it takes faith. That is just plan crap to me. But I end up being shut down and I feel it is the lack of my information.

I have tried to read books like The Making of the Fittest by Sean B. Carroll, Darwin, Christopher Hitchens and to be honest they are hard reads for me. I have found a book called The homemade Atheist by Betty Brogaard " A Former Evangelical woman's Freethought Journey to Happiness" That is a little easier to read. But it does not state many facts or im just missing them.

What I would like help with is, is there some books out there that have facts and information that is a somewhat easy read that will help me stand up to those who come at me.

I want to learn as much as possible for myslef and so I can have a intelligent conversation.

My husband is a Atheist and we have some really good talks but he is way above my head in his knowledge and I at times feel like im just not getting it. But I will keep trying.

If anyone has any ideas for some reading I could do to help me out here I would love it.

I will even keep tying to read the ones that seem hard to me to understand but maybe a few books that are a little simpler to start out with.

I am sorry for the any words not spelled right I am in a hurry and also a bit frustrated as I was hit with questions once again just last night. I did my best but feel I fell short.

Replies to This Discussion

Keep in mind that the burden of proof is on the person making the positive claim (that is, that something exists). It isn't upon you to try to disprove anything, because that's difficult bordering on impossible.

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours" --Stephen Roberts

You don't need to read any heavy books on evolution (if this isn't your "thing") in order to have a valid reason for being an atheist.

I think a good and easy to read book is "50 Reasons People Give For Believing in a God" by Guy P. Harrison might be a good book for you. You can read just the arguments that are relevant for dealing with your family if you like.

The whole evolution vs creationism debate is really a side show and a very American one at that. Evolution and an a belief in a god aren't even incompatible unless one believes that the Bible is literally true

There are plenty of arguments against god(s) and theism purely on a theological level. If you want to discuss science, rather try cosmology. The evidence is more shaky than evolution, but it's somewhat more interesting and useful in this context IMO

I've been there, and do note...i've self-asked myself about everything...the problem is even i, myself unable to hold every progress that i had.

Its hard playing debate when its us playing in their book. The problem is, its not that we couldn't learn and argue about a phrase/line/quotation; Its like we are arguing about which way is the closest to arrive to a destination, where the map that we are using is the flat world map...its a win-lose situation that doesnt really matter in the end~

What can i give you is, just define why do you think that god doesnt exist until you're solid enough to play in their "backyard".

I think it's useless to try to disprove god, because god is the ultimate shifty goalpost. He somehow exists outside of space and time and works in mysterious ways, yet he affects things that exist in space and time and believers somehow know exactly what he wants, and all it requires is the magical quality of faith. To me, this is utterly indistinguishable from imagination, and I'm not going to argue against someone's imagination. Instead, I would wonder why we need a god in the first place since we can describe the world fairly well without one. We have outgrown the need for a god. We no longer attribute disease, famine, and natural disasters to the intervention of gods or demons. Prayer does not work any better than chance or the placebo effect. The supernatural is, by definition, outside of our ability to test, to measure, to quantify, or otherwise prove its existence. Why then should we assume it exists? It just adds a layer of literal non-sense to our understanding of the world.

I guess a shorter and punchier reply to the question of why you don't believe in any gods is "I prefer to live in reality, thanks."

Oh, and a book recommendation: The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan. It's not specifically anti-religious, but it does make a good case for thinking scientifically and it includes the invaluable Baloney Detection Kit.